Writing implement

ABSTRACT

A writing implement has a casing, an inner tube adapted to contain pieces of leads and being movable axially within the casing, and a chuck mechanism including jaws connected to the inner tube and adapted normally to hold a piece of lead against retraction. The casing comprises a pair of sleeve members connected together by coupling means so that one of the sleeve members is angularly displaced with respect to the other when a force is exerted to the casing generally transversely of the axis thereof. The inner tube carries a ball in rolling contact with a conical cam surface formed in one of the sleeve members remote from the writing end. When the casing is bent, the cam surface forces the ball and the inner tube toward the writing end so that the lead is projected out of the writing end.

[ June 24, 1975 United States Patent 1191 Kato 825,782 11/1952 Germany 401/65 764,791 1/1957 United Kingdom..........,...... 401/110 1 WRITING IMPLEMENT [75] Inventor: Kazue Kato, Tomioka, Japan Assignee: Platinum Pen Co., Ltd., Tokyo, primary Examiner Lawrence Charles Japan Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Karl W. Flocks [22] Filed: Apr. 26, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 464,644

[57] ABSTRACT A writing implement has a casing, an inner tube [30] For i Application P i rit D t adapted to contain pieces of leads and being movable Aug. 24 1973 axially Within the casing and a Chuck mechanism eluding jaws connected to the inner tube and adapted normally to hold a piece of lead against retraction. The casing comprises a pair of sleeve members connected together by coupling means so that one of the sleeve members is angularly displaced with respect to the other when a force is exerted to the casing generally transversely of the axis thereof. The inner tube carries a ball in rolling contact with a conical cam sur-.

face formed in one of the sleeve members remote 401/65 from the writing end. When the casing is bent, the cam surface forces the ball and the inner tube toward 10 X the writing end so that the lead is projected out of the writing end. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2,523,568 9/1950 Halverson............................. 2,645,204 7/1953 Bross 2,899,931 8/1959 Bross 3,147,740 9/1964 Bross 747,417 3/1933 401/50 7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures WRITING IMPLEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a writing implement of a kind which comprises a casing, an elongated tubular member axially movable within the casing, and a chuck mechanism within the casing adjacent to the writing end of the implement, the chuck mechanism being adapted normally to hold an elongated writing material such as a piece of lead against retraction from the writing end and including jaws connected to one end of the tubular member.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART Heretofore, the writing implement of the kind specified is provided with a mechanism for actuating the tubular member so that the piece of lead is advanced a distance from the writing end when a length of the lead has been consumed. The known actuating mechanism includes an actuator mounted on and extending from the rearward end of the writing implement, i.e., the end of the implement remote from the writing end thereof, and is arranged such that the actuator can be pushed into the casing by a finger which is usually a thumb of a hand of a writer. The writing implement will be held in a writing position generally by means of three fingers, i.e., the thumb and index and middle fingers. When the writer is required to push the actuator, he must grip the casing of the writing implement by means of four fingers excepting the thumb and push the actuator by means of the thumb. This operation is very troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has its object to provide an improved writing implement of the kind specified which can be manipulated in quite simplified manner to advance a writing material and which has a simplified mechanism for advancing the writing material.

According to the present invention, there is provided a writing implement comprising a casing, an elongated tubular member axially movable within said casing, and a chuck mechanism within said casing adjacent to the writing end of said implement, said chuck mechanism being adapted normally to hold an elongated writing material against retraction from said writing end, said chuck mechanism including jaws connected to one end of said tubular member, wherein said casing is flexible when a force is exerted to said casing generally transversely of the axis thereof and means are provided for converting the fiexion movement of said casing into a force to move said tubular member and said jaws toward said writing end whereby said writing material is projected a distance from said writing end.

Preferably, the casing may comprise first and second sleeve members connected together by coupling means so that one of the sleeve members is angularly displaced with respect to the other. The converting means may preferably include a cam surface provided within one of the sleeve members remote from the writing end of the implement. The tubular member may advantageously carry a ball of a hard material disposed in rolling contact with the cam surface so that the latter pushes the ball and thus the tubular member as well as the jaws and the writing material when the casing is flexed or bent about the coupling means. The cam surface may advantageously be provided by a conical surface directed and diverging toward the writing end so that the casing can be bent in any direction.

The coupling means may preferably include an annular recess formed in one of the first and second sleeve members and a first coupling member secured to the other sleeve member and movably received in the annular recess. The annular recess may preferably be defined by the end of the one sleeve member adjacent to the other sleeve member and an annular groove formed in the peripheral outer surface of a second tubular coupling member secured to the one sleeve member. The first coupling member may preferably be tapered and extend into the annular recess. Advantageously, the first coupling member may have a generally spherical convex outer surface and a generally spherical concave inner surface. The second coupling member may advantageously have thereon an annular ridge having a generally sperical convex profile in axial section which is in intimate sliding engagement with the inner surface of the first coupling member. Preferably the annular ridge may be in the form of a ring member mounted on the second coupling member. The first coupling member may be detachably secured to the other sleeve member by means of screw threads.

The second coupling member may preferably extend into the other sleeve member and closely surround at least a part of the elongated tubular member to hold the same in substantially coaxial with the one sleeve member and prevent the tubular member from being bent when the casing is flexed. The second coupling member may advantageously have a free end portion extending in overlapping relationship with an end piece which may be removably mounted on the end of the elongated tubular member adjacent to the cam surface and which may preferably carry the ball in rolling contact with the cam surface.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent by the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an enlarged partially axial sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the writing implement according to the invention with the implement being shown upstanding on the end thereof remote from the writing end; and

FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1 but illustrating the implement when its casing is bent to advance a writing material.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, the writing implement according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention has a casing generally indicated by 10 which includes rearward and forward sleeve members 13 and 15 both made of a substantially rigid material such as a metal. The sleeve members are connected together by coupling means generally indicated by 17 so that the sleeve members 13 and 15 are angularly displaced with respect to each other when a force is exerted to the casing 10 approximately at the coupling means 17 in a direction substantially transversely of the axis of the casing.

The coupling means 17 include a first sleevelike coupling member 19 of a rigid material removably secured to the rearward sleeve member 13 by means of screw threads. The coupling member 19 has a forwardly tapered joint portion 21 having a generally spherical convex annular outer surface 23 and a generally spherical concave annular inner surface 25. The joint portion 21 is rotatably and angularly movably received in an annular recess 27 defined by the end of the forward sleeve member adjacent to the rearward sleeve member 13 and a second tubular coupling member 29 of a rigid material secured to the forward sleeve member 15. Preferably, the second coupling member 29 includes a ring-like part 31 rigidly secured to the inner peripheral surface of the forward sleeve member 15 and having a forwardly inwardly tapered frustoconical end face 32. The second coupling member also includes a tubular part 33 secured to the ring-like part 31 by means of screw threads. The frustoconical end face 32 of the ring-like part 31 cooperates with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular part 33 to define therebetween an annular groove which is a part of the annular recess 27.

The forward end of the joint portion 21 of the first coupling member 19 has an opening having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the tubular part 33 of the second coupling member 29 but smaller than the inner diameter of the rearward end of the forward sleeve member 15. The spherical concave inner surface 25 of the first coupling member 19 is in sliding contact with an annular ridge 35 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular part 33 of the second coupling member 29. Preferably, the annular ridge 35 has a generally spherical convex profile in axial section. In the embodiment illustrated, the annular ridge is provided by a ring member mounted on the tubular portion 33. The annular ridge 35 has an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the opening of the forward end of the joint portion 21 to prevent removal of the first coupling member 19 from the second coupling member 29.

An elongated tubular member 40 extends axially within the casing 10 for axial movement within a limited range. The tubular member 40 is adapted to contain extra pieces of writing materials, such as pieces of leads, in conventional manner. In addition, the tubular member 40 has a rearward end closed by an end piece 42 removably mounted thereon and carrying a ball 44 of a hard material, such as steel, rotatably mounted on the outer end of the end piece 42.

The rearward sleeve member 13 has a cam block 46 of a hard material rigidly secured to the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve member 13 adjacent to the rearward end thereof. Advantageously, the cam block 46 has a conical inner surface which provides a cam surface 48 associated with the ball 44.

The tubular part 33 of the second coupling member 29 surrounds the tubular member 40 and has a rearward end portion 34 having an inner peripheral surface substantially in sliding engagement with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 40. In addition, the end portion 34 extends in substantially overlapped relationship with the inner end portion of the end piece 42 received in the outer end portion of the tubular member 40 for the purpose to be made apparent later.

The tubular member 40 has its forward end associated with a conventional chuck mechanism generally indicated by 50 which includes jaws 52 connected to the forward end of the tubular member 40 and a jaw clamp 54 axially movable within a tubular jaw mechanism housing 57 secured to the forward end of the forward sleeve member 15 by means of screw threads. A forwardly tapered hollow forward end piece 16 is threadably mounted on the jaw mechanism housing 57 in abutment contact with the forward end face of the sleeve member 15. The end piece 16 houses a ring member 59 of a friction material, such as rubber, secured to the inner surface of the end piece 16 and having an inner diameter slightly less than the diameter of each of the elongated writing material, i.e., pieces of leads L. The chuck mechanism and the friction ring member 59 are both conventional and will be seen in any prior art writing implement of the mechanical pencil type.

A compression coil spring 61 extends around the rearward end portions of the jaws 52 and between the inner end face of the jaw mechanism housing 57 and the forward end face of the tubular member 40 to normally resiliently bias the same rearwardly so that the steel ball 44 is centered with respect to the conical cam surface 48, whereby the rearward and forward sleeve members 13 and 15 are normally held in substantially axially aligned relationship.

In operation, the writing implement according to the invention may be held in a writing position in a conventional manner. When it is required to advance a piece of lead L clamped bythe jaws 52, the writer is required only to bend the casing 10 by exerting a force to the casing approximately at the coupling means 17 in a direction substantially transverse to the axis of the casing. The force will angularly move the first coupling member 19 and the rearward sleeve member 13 about the annular ridge 35 so that the convex and concave outer and'inner peripheral surfaces of the coupling member 19 move with respect to the inner edge of the rearward end of the forward sleeve member 15 and the outer convex spherical surface of the ridge 35, respectively, with a result that the casing 10 is bent about the coupling means 17 as shown in FIG. 2.

In the position shown in FIG. 2, the tubular portion 33 and its rearward end portion 34 prevent the inner tubular member- 40 from being bent. Thus, the ball 44 on the end piece 42 mounted on the rearward end of the tubular member 40 will be rolled on the radially inclined conical cam surface 48 on the rearward sleeve member 13, so that the tubular member 40 is forcibly moved a distance toward the writing end of the writing implement with a result that the piece of lead L gripped by the jaws 52 will be forwardly advanced a substantially equal distance and projected from the forward end piece 16, as shown in FIG. 2. In the final stage of the forward movement, the jaws 52 will release the lead L in known manner due to the inherent characteristics of the chuck mechanism 50.

When the transverse force is removed'from the casing 10, the compression spring 61 will return the tubular member 40 and the jaws 52 rewardly to their initial positions, so that the casing 10 is also restored to its'initial, substantially straight position. However, the lead L will be restrained from moving back to its initial position as the lead L is frictionally gripped by the friction ring member 59. When the jaws 52 are returned to their initial positions,=they are again urged against the peripheral surface of the lead 'L to hold the same against retraction.

When it is desired to retract the lead L into the forward end piece 16 of the casing 10, the tip of the lead will be pressed rearwardly with the casing being bent. When all of the pieces of leads have been discharged from the tubular member 40, the rearward sleeve member 13 may be disconnected from the first coupling member 19 to expose the rearward end portion of the tubular member 40. Then, the end piece 42 may be removed from the tubular member 40 to fill up the interior of the tubular member 40 with a further charge of pieces of leads. The end piece 42 will then be inserted into the tubular member 40 and the rearward sleeve member 13 screwed onto the first coupling member 19.

What is claimed is:

l. A writing implement comprising a casing, an elongated tubular member axially movable within said casing, and a chuck mechanism within said casing adjacent to the writing end of said implement, said chuck mechanism being adapted normally to hold an elongated writing material against retraction from said writing end, said chuck mechanism including jaws connected to one end of said tubular member, wherein said casing is flexible when a force is exerted to said casing generally transversely of the axis thereof, means being provided for converting the flexion movement of said casing into a force to move said tubular member and said jaws toward said writing end whereby said writing material is projected a distance from said writing end, said casing comprising first and second sleeve members connected together by coupling means so that one of said sleeve members is angularly displaced with respect to the other, said converting means comprising a cam surface provided within one of said first and second sleeve members remote from said writing end, said tubular member having its other end disposed in sliding engagement with said cam surface, said tubular member Carrying a ball of a hard material disposed in rolling contact with said cam surface, said tubular member having an end piece detachably mounted on said other end thereof, said ball being rotatably mounted on said end piece, said coupling means including an annular recess formed in one of said first and second sleeve members and a first coupling member secured to the other sleeve member and being movably received in said annular recess, said one sleeve member carrying a second tubular coupling member secured to said one sleeve member and having an outer peripheral surface in which an annular groove is formed, said elongated tubular member extending through said second coupling member, said annular groove forming a part of said annular recess, and said coupling member on the other sleeve member being tapered and extending into said annular recess.

2. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said first coupling member has a generally spherical convex outer surface and a generally spherical concave inner surface, said second coupling member having thereon an annular ridge having a generally spherical convex profile in axial section.

3. A writing implement according to claim 2, in which said annular ridge is formed by a ring member mounted on said second coupling member.

4. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said first coupling member is detachably secured to said the other sleeve member by means of screw threads.

5. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said second coupling member extends into said the other sleeve member and closely surrounds at least a part of said tubular member to hold the same in substantially coaxial relationship with said one sleeve member and prevent said tubular member from being bent when said casing is flexed.

6. A writing implement according to claim 5, wherein said second coupling member has a free end portion extending in overlapping relationship with said end piece on said tubular member 7. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said cam surface is provided by a conical surface directed and diverging toward said writing end. 

1. A writing implement comprising a casing, an elongated tubular member axially movable within said casing, and a chuck mechanism within said casing adjacent to the writing end of said implement, said chuck mechanism being adapted normally to hold an elongated writing material against retraction from said writing end, said chuck mechanism including jaws connected to one end of said tubular member, wherein said casing is flexible when a force is exerted to said casing generally transversely of the axis thereof, means being provided for converting the flexion movement of said casing into a force to move said tubular member and said jaws toward said writing end whereby said writing material is projected a distance from said writing end, said casing comprising first and second sleeve members connected together by coupling means so that one of said sleeve members is angularly displaced with respect to the other, said converting means comprising a cam surface provided within one of said first and second sleeve members remote from said writing end, said tubular member having its other end disposed in sliding engagement with said cam surface, said tubular member carrying a ball of a hard material disposed in rolling contact with said cam surface, said tubular member having an end piece detachably mounted on said other end thereof, said ball being rotatably mounted on said end piece, said coupling means including an annular recess formed in one of said first and second sleeve members and a first coupling member secured to the other sleeve member and being movably received in said annular recess, said one sleeve member carrying a second tubular coupling member secured to said one sleeve member and having an outer peripheral surface in which an annular groove is formed, said elongated tubular member extending through said second coupling member, said annular groove forming a part of said annular recess, and said coupling member on the other sleeve member being tapered and extending into said annular recess.
 2. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said first coupling member has a generally spherical convex outer surface and a generally spherical concave inner surface, said second coupling member having thereon an annular ridge having a generally spherical convex profile in axial section.
 3. A writing implement according to claim 2, in which said annular ridge is formed by a ring member mounted on said second coupling member.
 4. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said first coupling member is detachably secured to said the other sleeve member by means of screw threads.
 5. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said second coupling member extends into said the other sleeve member and closely surrounds at least a part of said tubular member to hold the same in substantially coaxial relationship with said one sleeve member and prevent said tubular member from being bent when said casing is flexed.
 6. A writing implement according to claim 5, wherein said second coupling member has a free end portion extending in overlapping relationship with said end piece on said tubular member
 7. A writing implement according to claim 1, wherein said cam surface is provided by a conical surface directed and diverging toward said writing end. 